Midnight Facts for Insomniacs
A podcast of fascinating facts! What do extraterrestrial radio signals and a mushroom from Texas have in common? What is a “number station“ and why is it so spine-tinglingly creepy? Join comedians Shane Rogers and Duncan MacEwan for an entertaining and hilarious deep-dive into obscure facts from science, history and pop culture.
Episodes
Thursday Aug 10, 2023
Thursday Aug 10, 2023
Strap in and prepare for liftoff as Shane and Duncan take you on a jet-fueled ride through the history of space exploration. From the Nazi origins of space-flight to the audacious Apollo missions that captivated the globe, from the unexpected launch of Sputnik to the Space Shuttle's triumphs and disasters, this episode unveils the pivotal moments, groundbreaking achievements, and tenacious spirit that propelled humanity's reach into the final frontier.
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
In this episode:
The V-2 Rocket
Wernher von Braun
The R-7 Rocket
ICBMs
Sputnik
Project Vanguard
Sputnik 2
Laika
Animals in Space
Sputnik 3
The Vanguard TV-3 Failure
Redstone Rockets
Explorer 1
NASA and the NDEA
John F. Kennedy
We Choose to Go to the Moon
The Apollo Program
The Saturn V Rocket
Apollo 11
A Small Step for (a) Man
Apollo–Soyuz
Mars Landings
The Space Shuttle
Columbia and Challenger Disasters
The International Space Station
SpaceX
Blue Origin
The Falcon 9 Rocket
The Orbital Reef
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
~
Leave an Audio Message!
~
Instagram
~
Podcast Website
~
Episode Transcript
Thursday Jul 27, 2023
Thursday Jul 27, 2023
Why did humans first venture into the dark and mysterious depths of the ocean? What discoveries and dangers did they encounter along the way? And how will the ocean-exploring community regroup and flourish in a post Titan-submersible world?
Prepare for a deep dive into the history and current state of ocean exploration as Shane and Duncan reveal the fascinating stories of the pioneers, adventurers, and scientists who dared to brave the final frontier on Earth.
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
~
In this episode:
Pre-Boat Humans
The First Boats
Free Diving
Diving Bells
Diving Suits
Atmospheric Diving Suits
Submersibles
Submarines
SCUBA
The Titan Disaster
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
~
Leave an Audio Message!
~
Instagram
~
Podcast Website
~
Episode Transcript
Thursday Jul 13, 2023
Thursday Jul 13, 2023
Prepare yourself for a wild ride, insomniacs, because we're diving headfirst into the realm of quirky sports, where ancient traditions meet bizarre modern-day challenges. Ever heard of Kok boru? It's like a game of "grab the goat" on horseback. Yeah, you read that right. How about the adrenaline-fueled sport of wife carrying? Who needs a gym membership when you can jog through obstacle courses with your spouse strapped to your back?
So kick back, relax, and get ready to be entertained by the most bizarre sports you've never heard of...
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
In this episode:
Calcio Storico
Kok Boru
Wife Carrying
Hot-Pepper Eating
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
~
Leave an Audio Message!
~
Instagram
~
Podcast Website
~
Episode Transcript
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
It's an AHC takeover! On this week's rowdy, irreverent, NSFW installment of After Midnight, all three guys from the AHC podcast join Shane and Duncan to come up with a definitive list of the top five biggest jerks in fiction. From Mr. Burns to Freddy Krueger to Zach Morris, which epic a**holes will make the list?
Thanks to Randy, Buddy, and Mikey for providing this week's hijinks; you can check the AHC podcast here: https://www.ahcpodcast.com/
What's in your top 5? Tell us in the Discord...
~
Access the entire back catalog of After Midnights, plus bonus episodes and video livestreams over at the brand new MFFI Patreon:
PATREON
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
~
Leave an Audio Message!
~
Instagram
~
Podcast Website
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
Welcome, insomniacs, to a captivating late-night rendezvous with the fascinating world of deviant subcultures. Grab your oversized plushie, dust off your fedora, slip into your favorite anime cosplay, or don your tracksuit—it's time to celebrate the extraordinary diversity of our world, one subculture at a time.
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
In this episode:
Furries
Bronies
Pervy Otaku
Gopniks
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
~
Leave an Audio Message!
~
Instagram
~
Podcast Website
~
Episode Transcript
Thursday Jun 15, 2023
Thursday Jun 15, 2023
Hail Satan! In the latest 1980s-throwback episode of MFFI, Shane and Duncan explain how sensationalized accusations and false memories led to the persecution of innocent people, the destruction of families, and the rise of a new form of religious extremism.
So turn off the lights, grab your crucifix, and take a trip down memory lane to experience the most notorious episode of mass hysteria since Salem: the Satanic Panic.
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
In this episode:
Historical Precedent
The Red Scare
Anton Lavey and the Satanic Bible
The Rise of the Moral Majority
Satanic Serial Killers
Cults
Mike Warnke and the Satan Seller
Lawrence Pazder and Michelle Proby
Michelle Remembers
Hypnosis and Recovered Memories
The Kern County Day-Care Cases
The McMartin Preschool Trial
The West Memphis 3
Paradise Lost
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
~
Leave an Audio Message!
~
Instagram
~
Podcast Website
~
Episode Transcript
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Part myth, part mayhem, and all leather-clad rebellion: welcome to the shadowy world of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.
In this week’s episode, Shane and Duncan explore the mystique and mysticism of a legendary biker gang, from the notorious riots and murders that publicly defined them to the fiercely-guarded code of honor that binds them. So grab a cup of coffee, or perhaps something stronger, and buckle up for an adrenaline-fueled ride through the turbulent history of the HAMC.
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
In this episode:
Hells Angels: "Organized Crime Syndicate"
Recent Convictions
The Dutch Ban
The Apostrophe Debacle
Founding of the Angels Fontana, CA
Otto Friedly
The "Pissed Off Bastards"
Frank Sadilek and The Death's Head Insignia
Charters
Corporate Angels
Joining: "Han Around" to "Associate" to "Prospect"
Top Rocker, Bottom Rocker, Full Patch
One Percenters
Hunter S Thompson, The Hells Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga
81
The Culture of the Hells Angels
H.A. and Race
Ralph Hubert “Sonny” Barger
Altamont
Meredith Hunter and Alan Passaro
Harrah’s Hotel and Casino, Laughlin Nevada 2002
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
~
Leave an Audio Message!
~
Instagram
~
Podcast Website
~
Episode Transcript
Thursday May 18, 2023
Thursday May 18, 2023
Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD!
On this week's episode, Shane and Duncan delve into the dark and deadly world of medieval warfare to learn how people fought, killed, and survived in the Middle Ages. From the elegant and lethal longsword to the gruesome and gory morning star, explore the history and science behind some of the most fearsome and fascinating instruments of war ever devised.
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
In this episode:
The 3 Criteria: Effectiveness, Cost, and Status
Chain Mail
Plate Armor
The Water-Powered Triphammer
War Horses
Horse Armor: The Full Bard
Peytrals, Chanfrons, Criniere, Caparisons
The Helmschied Family
Pre-Swords: Spatha and Gladius
Knightly/Long Swords
Sword Anatomy: Blade, Fullers, Cross Guards, Pommels
Axes
Axe Anatomy: Eye, Cheeks, Toe, Heel, Beard, Butt
War Hammers
Maces
Lances
Spears
Bows: (Recursive, Long, Cross)
Shields
Seige Weapons: Trebuchets and Catapults
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
~
Leave an Audio Message!
~
Instagram
~
Podcast Website
~
Episode Transcript
Thursday May 04, 2023
Thursday May 04, 2023
Are you ready for a rousing tale of ghosts and gods and taboo brother-sister love? No, this isn't a new streaming series from HBO; this is MFFI's first episode covering the bizarre, freaky world of Japanese Mythology. Join the guys as they uncover the rituals, creation myths, and divine deities of Shintoism, an ancient religion that predates Japan’s recorded history.
**NOTE: THIS EPISODE BEGINS WITH AN EXTENDED UPDATE TO THE PREVIOUS EPISODE. TO SKIP TO THIS WEEK'S TOPIC, JUMP TO 11:00**
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
In this episode:
AI Episode Update
The Two Japanese Religions: Shintoism and Buddhism
Kami (Spirits)
Kegare (Impurity)
Kiyome (Purity)
Animism
Shinkai (Shadow World)
Torii (Gate)
Priests and Priestesses
Kami-dana (home shrines)
The Four Affirmations: Family, Nature, Purity, Festivals (Matsuri)
Buddhist Funerals
The Kojiki and Nihon Shoki
The Imperial Family (The Yamato Line)
Takamagahara (The Plain of High Heaven)
Kotoamatsukami (The Five Gods, Original Kami)
The Zoka Sanshin: The High Creator, The Divine Creator, and the Central Master
The Kamiyo-nayo (Paired Gods)
Izanagi and Izanami
Creation of Japan With Amenonuhoka (The Heavenly Bejeweled Spear)
Hiroku/Ebisu (The Leech Child)
Yomi (Land of the Dead)
Amaterasu (Kami of the Sun)
Tsukuyomi (Moon Kami)
Susanoo (Storm Kami)
Jimmu, the First Emperor
The Humanity Declaration
Yokai/Mononoke (Shapeshifting Spirits)
Nekomata (Cat/Demon Spirits)
The Oni (Demon Yokai)
Shuten-doji, King of Oni
Raiko the Hero
Hannya Masks
The Bancho Sarayashiki (The Dish Mansion at Pancho)
Okiku and Aoyama Tessan
The Ring
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
~
Leave an Audio Message!
~
Instagram
~
Podcast Website
~
Episode Transcript
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
What will AI look like in 2050? Will it solve all our problems, or create new ones? Will our future AI companions be more “Her” or “T1000"? In the latest chrome-plated, mechanized, fully sentient episode of MFFI, Shane and Duncan discuss the possibilities and pitfalls of generative artificial intelligence, and explore all of the ways it might reshape media, society, economy, and culture.
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
In this episode:
The Swaggy Pope
The Dartmouth College Rockefeller-Funded AI Conference
John McCarthy Coins the Term "AI"
Deep Learning
NLP
The Data Age
Advanced Tamagotchi
AI Tutors
Insurance
Autonomous Vehicles
AI Catfishing: Filters, Deepfakes
Bold Glamour
Coconut Kitty
Replika and the Emotional Connection
Robot Sexting
AI and the Economy
General AI
The Singularity
Alignment Research
Misalignment
Open AI Risk Assessment
AI Warfare
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
~
Leave an Audio Message!
~
Instagram
~
Podcast Website
~
Episode Transcript